Japan Press Weekly

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2014 April 9 - 15 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto again insults women with sexist comment

Osaka City Mayor Hashimoto Toru, co-chair of the Japan Restoration Party, on April 7 called on business entrepreneurs and corporate executives to keep more than one mistress in fancy condos in downtown Osaka to revitalize the local economy.

After city regulations were eased so that upper floors of downtown high-rise buildings can be for residential use, Hashimoto has expectations for the construction of ultra-luxurious dwellings.

During an evening gathering on this day, the lawyer-turned mayor encouraged business leaders to live in or keep their mistresses to live in such posh condos.

He stressed positive effects on the economy expected to be brought about by mistresses, saying, “If rich people come to live in downtown Osaka, exclusive restaurants and bars will open. Some corporate managers will possibly keep mistresses in classy apartments. Accordingly, high-end boutiques and jewelry stores will also come to Osaka.”

The next day, he said, “That was just a joke,” suggesting he has no intention to withdraw the statement.

Nagai Yoshiko, who works to promote gender equality in education, said that he refers to women as men’s playthings in defiance of women’s human rights, and pointed out that he demeans even men by recommending that they keep mistresses.

Nagai said, “Given the fact that the city mayor shrugged off his inappropriate words as ‘just a joke’, I strongly feel it necessary to have gender equality classes in education.”

Past Hashimoto’s sexist remarks

When he was still a TV personality, he said that it is like ODA (Official Development Assistance) for Japanese men to pay Chinese women for sex. When he was Osaka prefectural governor, he said, “Osaka will accept all sex-industry districts and hot-pillow motel alleys.” After assuming the post as Osaka City mayor, he said that the Japanese military’s comfort women system was necessary to relieve soldiers’ stress. To the U.S. Forces Japan, he recommended that U.S. marines utilize Japanese sex businesses to legally release their sexual urges.

Past related articles:
> JCP Ichida criticizes Hashimoto for refusing to retract ‘comfort women’ remarks [May 28, 2013]
> JCP Kasai on TV denounces Hashimoto [May 26 & 27, 2013]